Education – A Level Sociology Eduqas Revision

Role of Education in Socialisation

Education, notably in formal settings such as schools, plays a significant role in the process of socialisation.
Concepts such as norms and values are often learned in educational institutions.
Education can reinforce societal norms and behaviours, creating uniformity across society.
Schools act as ‘miniature societies’, mirroring broader societal rules and expectations.
Education also contributes to secondary socialisation, shaping an individual’s view of the world outside of their family.

Education potentially plays a defining role in the shaping of individual identity.
Social groups, such as peer groups in schools, can significantly impact identity development.
Factors like the curriculum, extracurricular activities and educational achievement can influence a person’s identity.
Over time, an individual may adopt a particular identity, such as a ‘science student’ or ‘arts student’, based on their experiences in education.

Education plays a crucial role in the transmission of culture, as it exposes individuals to various societal norms and expectations, both implicitly and explicitly.
This includes cultural norms associated with gender, race, class, and sexuality.
The hidden curriculum refers to the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that students learn in school.
For example, class-based differences in education can contribute to the reproduction of social class inequalities in society.

Formal education helps in establishing social control, as students learn how to behave in a way that is deemed acceptable by society.
This control may involve the introduction of sanctions and rewards (e.g., detentions, praises, qualifications).
Education may also reinforce values of competition and individualism often prevalent in capitalist societies.
It can be a tool used to perpetuate the status quo, thereby maintaining social order.

Some argue that education maintains and reproduces inequalities by favouring those students from privileged backgrounds.
The curriculum at times is criticised for broadening cultural bias, perpetuating an exclusive perception of what constitutes ‘valid’ knowledge.
Education may be seen as a form of ‘soft power’, subtly persuading individuals to accept the dominant cultural norms and values.
Critics argue that education can be a site of resistance and contestation, as different social groups may resist, oppose or reinterpret the lessons they are taught in education.